U.S. perovskite company Caelux said it has shipped its Active Glass product to an unnamed silicon solar panel manufacturer for use in an unnamed U.S. solar developer’s project.
The Caelux perovskite Active Glass coming off pilot fabrication line in Baldwin Park, California. Credit: Caelux
Caelux previously explained to Solar Power World that it coats its perovskite design onto glass, and then the glass is used as the front-glass portion of a solar panel. Just a few pieces of charge collection tape are manually attached at the bussing station, but otherwise no new equipment is needed to add Caelux perovskite-glass to a module company’s manufacturing lines.
“We’re thrilled to begin shipping out our technology, paving the way in transitioning solar to tandem. Our team worked hard to achieve this important milestone not only for Caelux, but also for the greater solar industry,” said Scott Graybeal, CEO of Caelux. “Our technology offers a step-function advancement for solar, and this shipment is the beginning of many more improvements to come. We’re energized to be moving the industry forward with our technology.”
Compatible with mainstream silicon solar technologies, Caelux’s technology drives product improvements for more efficient and powerful solar panels. The company claims that Caelux-enabled tandem solar modules have up to 30% more power density, 20% more energy production and enable up to 20% lower project costs.
“Caelux is bringing technology to market that will help our customers accelerate their deployment of solar energy and cement solar as a leading source of energy in the years to come,” said Aaron Thurlow, SVP of Sales & Marketing at Caelux. “We’re incredibly proud to partner with our first customer for this shipment, and we look forward to growing our customer base and sharing our technology with companies globally.”
Caelux is operating a 100-MW perovskite-coated glass factory in Baldwin Park, California, just outside Los Angeles.
” Just a few pieces of charge collection tape are manually attached at the bussing station, but otherwise no new equipment is needed to add Caelux perovskite-glass to a module company’s manufacturing lines.”
This has a “tinge” of a fishy smell. Perovskite glass is not the concern as First Solar has been manufacturing CdTe panels for about 24 years now doing pretty much the same thing. It’s the Rube Goldberg, “…just a few pieces of charge collection tape…” that sets off warning bells and a flag thrown for inept bonding of a tandem solar PV panel. I would like to see some accelerated degradation tests to see if one could project a useful solar PV panel with superior tandem design that would also last 25-30 years in use.